Backyard Chickens

Simple – Fresh eggs! Do you know the real age of the ‘fresh’ eggs bought at the supermarket are, especially if they are not stamped? Are you sure free range chickens don’t eat the same modified foods that their sisters in the sheds next to them eat? The best way to know that you are eating fresh eggs by free range chickens is to keep your own.

Other reasons for keeping chickens include the taste of eating a freshly laid egg compared to a shop bought carton, teaching your kids the values of where their food comes from, love of life, their beautiful personalities, chicken TV just by simply enjoying watching them, the bond created between chook and humans, animal husbandry, trust and love!

Almost all local councils allow chickens to be kept in the backyard. Every council supplies their respective regulations, such as the number of chickens you can keep, distance from your fence line and pen/run/coop requirements etc.

Please refer to your local council regulations and by-laws for accurate governmental rulings.

Yes – Hens will the same amount of eggs whether a rooster is present or not. Suburban Farmer does not supply roosters as they not permitted under most council’s regulations.

You would be surprised to hear that chickens really don’t smell. They will start to smell a bit if their coop is left uncleaned, the pen stays wet for an extended period or you have too many chickens confined in a small area.

***Please refer to DO I HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FAQ

Chickens are no different to any other animal, so as long as their pen is kept dry and clean – making sure to sterilise and disinfect their coops/nesting boxes (Pestene, DIATOMACEAOUS EARTH, COOPEX, WORMWOOD, BASIL, LEMONGRASS etc) and always fresh clean water.

Unlike roosters, hens are not so noisy (while some breeds can be vocal, they are relatively quiet compared to a rooster) – and as most councils do not permit roosters in suburban environments we deal only with hens.

The sound of hens clucking in the background of your garden is quite soothing as they scratch around. When hens lay an egg they sing their EGG SONG and sound the alarm.

And if the hens are unhappy or scared they may make more noise than normal, same for when food is given or they find a tasty treat etc. Their range of calls in amazing and you will soon recognize their calls and each hens individual sounds.

Many elders in our commUNITY love the sounds of chooks as it reminds them of blessed times gone by for them, but are still alive and well for the generations forward.

This mainly depends on how much space you have and how many eggs per day you want. Keeping in focus, chooks are flocking birds. Preferring to be in larger flocks of 3 or more. 3 chooks is the minimum I suggest.

Chooks require a lot of space. They don’t like to be cooped up! The general rule for SF forage run recommendation is 1 chicken per 4m2 minium. Chickens need scratching, playing, foraging, dust bathing, roosting, flapping, jumping, chasing, sorting/quarrels, chilling, reading the back of their eye lids, shade seeking, sun bathing, giving you the stink eye room etc. The point being, small enclose areas are not good at all. Poorly shaded/completely shaded, no air movement/too windy, wet – poor drainage, forgotten conditions are absolutely not on. They are living Creation so please, if you are not serious about poultry husbandry, DO NOT GET CHICKENS.

Appropriate nesting boxes, roosting areas, night roots, chook poop catches, air flow/venting, security/rodent/predator proofed, weather proofed, maintainable/cleanable/hygiene focused coop set ups are what SF recommends. For 3 hens, SF recommends a coop area of 2-3m2.

THE COOP IS NOT THE CHICKEN RUN. REFFER TO ABOVE PARAGRAPHS.

For a family of four people, 2-3 chickens will provide enough eggs to feed the family. With out a doubt most likely more. Remember you will receive about an egg per day from your chickens and for heritage breeds, every other day until moult. The eggs will keep for a couple of weeks but if you have an abundance, give some to your friends, family and commUNITY!

After the initial introduction, your existing pets should get on fine with their new neighbours, and your chickens are likely to pay no attention to your other pets once they are settled in. Of course, if you have particularly aggressive dog/cat, I strongly advise a rethink or extreme training and seclusion/exclusion/protection/transition barriers. If your dog/cat is just curious and interested, then some light and monitored interactions, extending in time each go, a small fence separating the dogs/cats and the chickens can be a fantastic bridge to harmony and cohabitation.

Almost anything! We deliver a certified organic layer mix grain, that supplies some the nutrients and minerals needed by chickens at the laying age. This feed it can be proven that the ingredients haven’t been sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. In addition to the mix grain feed, chickens will eat anything from garden weeds, table scraps, vegetables from the garden or crisper, lawn cuttings, seeds, grains, sardines, cooked lentils, chopped garlic, pumpkin seeds, mung beans, maggots/larvae, worms/grubs, insects…the list goes on.

There are a few things you shouldn’t feed chickens, including dry beans, off foods, breads, pastas, rice, and anything processed, highly salty foods, fast foods, sugar products and biscuits.

Your children will love your chickens. But your chookie’s may not love your children. Most chickens don’t mind being picked up and handled, but some chooks just do not want to be touched. This is normal. It is a survival mechanism to do not try and force your chicken to be held or coddled. This is harmful and cruel. If your chook shows it is ok with a small deliberate touching, try again tomorrow. If ok, do it again each day increasing the frequency and duration each time. Being conscious of the chook’s reactions and behaviour/stress behaviour and signs. If your chookie is all now bold with the hold, introduce your children. No loud noises, sudden movements, stressful environment and attention, making sure the younger children are constantly supervised. Chickens can get hurt by playful, excited young ones. Slowly try introducing hand feeding by getting grasses and veg scraps of length and poke them through the mesh and leave them to feel comfortable and start pecking your offerings. Then slowly as thy get use to your gifts, one time simply after leaving the gifts, stand there. If ok, the next time squat down. If ok then next time hold your hand out slowly and deliberately. If ok, then hold the gift offerings. If ok, shorten the size week by week until its small enough to fit in your hand. If young children are hand feeding chickens this may take longer, and they may get a small fright if the chicken pecks their hand. Parents may find this funny 😊

Pests such as mice are attracted by food and not by the chickens so much. Chickens are messy eaters so keeping wasted food to a minimum will help pests be less attracted to your chicken pen. Try to limit excess feeding and excess build up by cleaning and removing old food every other day. Keep stored food away in solid, sealable containers or barrels etc.

The key to keeping chickens safe from predators is a good strong, heavy gauge, predator proof wire mesh exclusion barrier – with sturdy, solid, embedded walls, enclosed top and mesh floor footing border to stop predators burrowing under the wire. This is only a perimeter mesh border – do not mesh the whole floor area. They need access to the Earth, soil and grass.